Travis Besecker's Blog: Apocalypse Coming, page 2

Book of the Month at WritingApocalypse.com

'Lost in Infinity' was named Book of the month for May at WritingApocalypse.com. I'm honored to be a part of their site. Check out the review they posted as well. (click here for the full review)

Déjà vu? It’s the feeling that something has already happened before.  Did I read that before? Lost in Infinity had me asking this question on more than one occasion.  Following the story of a troubled youth suffering insomnia and a fear of infinity seemed like plot enough, but the fact that my brain was toyed with and strung along through this story only thrust me in further. 

What is infinity? Imagine floating through space, gazing into the wide span of darkness and tiny specs of light that create an abyss without beginning or end.  The mere thought causes a powerful reaction: racing heart, surge of electricity pulsating through veins, exasperated gulps of air.  It’s apeiraphobia, a fear of infinity, combine that with insomnia, a strange inner voice and The Shadow Man and a child can go stark raving mad.  Did this child go mad? 

The story runs haphazardly between recollections, rantings, and current events causing the reader to shake his head and try to make sense out of it all.  Does this work? Stick with the story, stick with the facts no matter how often they are repeated, stick with the character despite the constant feeling of déjà vu to find the plot is not at all what was expected. 

Lost in Infinity creates the ground work for one story but leads into the path of another.  It seems repetitive and redundant at points, but stay with the story to discover why these feelings of déjà vu are so important.  Definitely not a book for everyone, but for those who enjoy a good insanity based book and don’t mind a sadistic twist in plot, this is a must read.  Its Shutter Island meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the author makes it work, leaving the reader to grasp at straws wanting to know if the cycle ever ends.  What cycle? Read the book! 

We are pleased to feature this quality book on WritingApocalypse.com.  We are also pleased to announce that out of the four books we read last month, this one is our new May Book of the Month. 

The Staff at Writing Apocalypse

Thanks to the staff at Writing Apocalypse and to Tania L Ramos for her review. 

as if that would stop me from cashing a check...

I normally keep pretty quiet about what I do for a steady paycheck (because we all know how much money comes from being a 'writer')... Those of you who know my origins. are privy to my past exploits and what I'm ultimately at the helm of will not be surprised at all to see the above check (blurred out for privacy)... For the rest of you, no, I'm not in the adult entertainment industry. I'm in the horribly offensive joke / sticker / poster / t-shirt industry. My ties to the adult entertainment industry are modest and for shits and giggles at best.

Take note at the 'Memo'. It's no doubt that this is an attempt to keep me from cashing this royalty check. Little do they know I could care less. In fact, looking down at my chest, I see I'm currently wearing a classic black t-shirt with "FISTING... It's all fun and games until someone loses a watch" silkscreened on the front. They know not who they're dealing with.

By the way, my parents are extremely proud.

Blog Tour and other random droppings...

I'm considering it. Why? Why not?

It'll give me something to do while I wait for the dust to settle over the last book signing debacle... how was I supposed to know his hair was attached? Mob mentality can be lethal and cucumbers can leave permanent scars if thrown hard enough.

Mark Tufo's 'Zombie Fallout' series still has me enthralled.

Need to find the time to venture forth for 'EVIL DEAD' regardless of what my gut tells me.

Sometimes you come across something so disturbing you MUST share...

per the Huffington Post:

Eel Removed From Man After Getting Stuck, Chewing Through Colon (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)Do not try this at home. Do not try this anywhere. Just do not try it.

A man in China's southeastern Guangdong province admitted himself to a local hospital after he reportedly got a live eel stuck inside him. According to British tabloid The Sun, the man inserted the 20-inch-long Asian swamp eel into his anus after seeing it done in a porn movie, and he had to endure all-night surgery to have it extracted.

According to a HuffPost translation of Chinese news aggregation website Mop.com, the eel reportedly chewed through the man's colon, perforating his large intestine, and became stuck in his body cavity. A graphic X-ray image (seen below) shows how far inside the eel was when the man came in for treatment.

Medical team members reportedly said the eel, which was “simply trying to find its way out," was alive when removed but died shortly thereafter. According to The Sun, the man is still recovering at the hospital and might face animal cruelty charges.

The Asian swamp eel -- also known as the rice eel or rice paddy eel -- is a snake-shaped fish that is commonly sold live at food markets in East Asian countries.

Although this type of eel is known as an invasive species in parts of the United States, this isn't the first time that it's made its way into (ahem) foreign habitats.

In 2012, a New Zealand man had to have an eel removed from his posterior. In 2010, a Chinese man died after his friends allegedly inserted an eel into his rectum as a joke.

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES An X-ray image shows how far inside the man's body the eel was able to get. This photo, provided by Europics, shows the eel after it was removed from the man.

it's his triumphant stance at the end that gets me

pffffft...

Memorial Day Murph

Against my better judgement, under the pressure of an older sibling who makes these things sound much easier and more fun than they really are, signed up for the local round of the 2013 Memorial Day Murph. I'm joking, it's for a great cause and although my body will hate me afterward, it's doable and should be a cool experience.

from their website:

June 28th, 2005 

A team of 4 Navy SEALs led by LT. Michael P. Murphy on a mission to capture or kill a key Taliban leader, found themselves seriously outnumbered in a firefight with well over 100 enemy troops. Pinned down and under intense enemy fire, their communications operator severely wounded, they were in desperate need for help. Due to the mountainous terrain, their communications could not be received. Understanding the situation, LT. Michael P. Murphy moved to open exposing himself to enemy fire, to use his satelite phone to request immediate support to save his team. LT Murphy was mortally wounded making that call. They continued fighting until Lt. Murphy and two of his three team mates were mortally wounded. His fourth team member, severly injured himself, managed to escape where he was taken in by a local villager until he was rescued 4 days later. He went on to tell the story in a book titled “The Lone Survivor”

For his selfless leadership, courageous actions and extraordinary devotion to duty, LT. Michael P. Murphy received the Medal of Honor, the first service menber to receive the medal in Operation Enduring Freedom, and the first Navy recipient of the medal since Vietnam. 

Lt Murphy had a favorite workout he would do to prepare for his deployments. He would make sure he wore his body armor for this workout, which he started calling “Body Armor” After his death, it was renamed and would now be referred to as “Murph”. A very demanding workout had just been given a name, and a soul.

What is 'The Murph'?


1 Mile Run to start100 Pull-ups200 Push-ups300 Squats1 mile run to finishI'm just going to go ahead and start apologizing to my quads now. To prepare, and in a fruitless effort to compete with my over-the-top-fit S.W.A.T. bro, I'll be attempting it at least once per week as part of my normal workout routine because I'm an idiot. Maybe I can talk him into doing it with his kevlar and/or gear on...

Yesterday was my initial run through. I skipped the running and ran out of time.
60 pullups / 120 push-ups / 180 squats in 22 minutes.
Disappointing.
According to Logsitall.com the average on the Murph is 45:00. I'd be happy with 50:00.
My goal is:
10:00 1 mile run
30:00 pull ups/push-ups/squats
10:00 1 mile run

I have until 5-27-13 to make that happen.

Issuing a formal apology to my body, as a whole, in advance.

If you want to sign up and give it a go, check out http://mdmfundraiser.com/

don't ask

serious thought

I am an atheist by deduction.That said, I fantasize about leaving mainstream social bindings and living a life of asceticism.... without the religion, of course. I probably wouldn’t do it forever, but I’d definitely enjoy the solitude. I can go days without interacting with another human being except for my children, because, well, they ask a lot of fucking questions and I do receive an immense amount of personal joy from their presence, watching them and being a part of their lives… but… the life of a recluse seems so numbing. And wonderful.I can imagine being the only person left on the planet and being just perfectly fine with that.I would crawl back in on myself and live in the world in my own head. Content. Peaceful. Without guilt or judgement or consequence.There’s a medicinal equivalent of this... It is lovely. For awhile.There’s a mental equivalent of this... It can be lovely. For awhile.I don’t want to ever fall asleep again. I want to bask in my own delusions and build a perfect society in my head until the time comes when I finally meet the finality of the final sleep.Sorry, you guys aren’t invited. It would kind of defeat the purpose.In death, because I do not believe in an afterlife, I find solace in the dream that the world I’ve come to fantasize about will thrive in my head forever and I’ll leave this existence behind and relish in my own thought, leaving the concept of passed time far behind.

ripped